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First Book in the P.I.E.C.E.S series_ Six lives and a load of drama. Tokunbo moves to the great IB city for a fresh start. But somehow she finds herself tangled up in webs of secrets and lies. She knows she isn't supposed to care, but deep within a fragment of herself, she does. Betty, Vicky, Eli and Enoch try to ignore that all is not as it used to be. No one can seem to pull away from their already frail friendship but none can seem to draw closer either. Enter a new kid with issues and a crazy girl hell bent on revenge. Will the crew come out whole or in shards of what they used to be?
CHAPTER ONE
Betty groaned crumpling the poor piece of paper, black mixing irregularly with white. That was the thirteenth sheet gone that day. Once again, she had proved to the forces against her, as well as to herself, that she had no future in poetry.
But it shouldn't be this hard!
Poetry was just 'penning words on paper", "expressing emotions, filling empty blank spaces". It wasn't supposed to be hard. That was what Math and Science were for. Betty let out another groan and threw the whole book to the ground.
"I give up!" she announced to no one in particular.
She agreed with her father now. Either poetry was dumb and useless, or it just wasn't made for her. Betty could bet naira notes that it was the second option.
Yes, that was it!
Poetry wasn't for her. The first option however would imply calling Shakespeare a dummy- but Betty adored him. She had a whole drawer dedicated to him. Calling him a dummy was similar to committing suicide.
She slouched in the armchair staring at all the pieces of paper, frustrated, on the floor. She wanted to know poetry. She needed to if she wanted to apply for the 'All States Writing Contest' coming up in three months.
Like I could still do that.
Her dad had made up his mind. Against her favour. Writing was for lazy ones, it fed no one. He had told her. He'd rather she held the highest sticks in the market. A doctor, a lawyer, a petroleum engineer, The big jobs. However, Betty couldn't help but feel he was wrong. She loved writing. It was a passion. Her passion. What happened to the words she'd heard on TV and watched in movies?
"What happened to following my dreams?" she muttered sadly, tears nearing her eyes as frustration took over.
A moving van cut the brewing tempestuousness inside her short, attracting curious eyes as it drove into the compound. Betty face palmed as she had forgotten the new neighbours would be arriving that day. She rose quickly, ridding the floor of the mess she had created.
"Mom! The neighbours are here! And please come out quickly! Those nasty kids downstairs are at it again." She yelled and soon enough, her mother stumbled out of the house, clad in a wrapper and T-shirt, ready to shun the 'Devil Twins' and their siblings back into their house.
But there was no need for that because all of them reversed slowly when a man stepped down from the car.
"Wow," Betty whispered
"Aye o." her mother exclaimed, placing a hand on her chest as all eyes beheld the commanding figure before them.
Just who were the new neighbours exactly?
A few pairs of legs dropped from the van too. A pregnant woman, a tall kid with braided hair, and a smaller boy.
Betty watched the man take slow strides looking around the compound in scrutiny and noticed his face morph into a sneer when his gaze landed on the nasty kids.
Ha! Take that Devil twins!
But when he looked up, she knew why those kids had flinched in fear and scattered like chickens. The man had a commanding stance, a domineering figure. His eyes were steely. He had a scar near his left eye that spelt 'WICKED'.
"Olorun mi o" Her mother exclaimed again taking a few steps backwards. "Which kind man be this ?" she asked in pidgin English.
The man walked over to his wife assisting her towards the stairs while throwing directions at the movers, his children trailing behind him. They greeted no one. Not even a small nod or a look of acknowledgement. Even after they had disappeared into the confines of their flat, the one next to Betty's, Everyone stood still for a while before dispersing with shrugs and sighs of contempt.
Betty stared on and on from across the side balcony.
***
Tokunbo.
Tokunbo looked around the house; White ceilings, the peach and green walls. She wasn't sure how she felt about them moving. It had been all too soon, all too sudden but it was good. She needed a change of scenery anyways.
And to run away.
She was more than ready to start anew. Not like there were major changes to make, but a girl could try.
"At least I have another chance." She whispered to herself as she toured the rooms, closing her eyes at intervals, trying to ward off unwanted thoughts. Too many things had happened, but there was no way she would allow sour memories to spoil her new beginning. No!
"Get the other things from the van, Tokun. Don't just stand there!"
"Yes papa," she replied dashing away from her father's presence. A smile formed on her face as she remembered the look of horror on the kids' faces earlier. One of them had even whispered 'Commando' before flying away.
"I'd like the pink bag please?" she told one of the movers flashing a smile. The man grunted before reaching into the van and grabbing the bag.
"Gba!" He hurled the bag at her.
She groaned as the heavy load hit her fragile figure. "Hmph!" Either the man was blind or he just ignored the fact that her waistline couldn't be more than twenty inches. She made sure to give him the stink eye and continued as she climbed the stairs only for the bag's strap to get caught with her feet and whoosh!
Her face kissed the floor.
***
Betty cringed as the tall kid smash her face on the last stair.
"That must hurt like a bitch!" she shouted across the balcony. "Are you okay?"
The tall kid jumped up, wincing a bit, but waved in response. "Yeah! I'm fine. I just-I didn't fall"
Betty chuckled.
Right! You didn't.
"You didn't? So what was that?"
"That was...We have a mutual understanding. My face and the floor."
"Wow...That's new. Considering you just arrived like ten minutes ago. The floor must really like you."
The girl laughed, shrugging lightly then bent to pick the bag up.
"I love your bag! Fan of pink?" Betty asked, elated. She was the first to start a conversation with the new neighbours of course she was excited.
The latter snorted in response. "No. Yuck! I hate this colour. Blue for life. This is my mama's."
Betty pouted leaning against the railing "Well now I'm offended. I happen to love that colour".
"Good for you." she shrugged in response but a small smile tugged at her lips.
"I'm Elizabeth."
"Tokunbo."
"Nice! I'm calling you Toks."
Tokunbo adjusted the bag strap and then nodded. "See you."
***
Foreign expressions used-
*Aye o- The world! (An exclamation common to the Yorubas)
*Olorun mi o!- My God
*Gba! - Take/ here you go.
Neal Kowalski is in thorough shit. His life is in danger, his reputation on the line and his company on wobbly stakes. While the people see a shy stuttering billionaire, owner of Kowalski Inc, very few know about the man behind the stutter, his dark past and haunting demons. And Dorothy Lane is determined to find out. As his ex-best friend, Dorothy Lane is assigned as a personal guard to Neal. She ignores the thickening tension between them, determined to prove to the world and her parents, that she is more than just a wild child. She will protect Neal from those who threaten his life even if it meant she would lose hers. But no one told her anything about Protecting Neal from himself. And Dorothy finds this out the hard way.
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”
My name is Katia, and I am just trying to survive until my fated mate arrives. Which may be easier said than done. Rejectection is the last straw. Whispering my acceptance of his rejection. I run through the pack house, out across the manicured lawn into the forest. "I'm sorry, my sweet girl," I say to my wolf. I'm sorry you have been stuck with me and have had to suffer everything I have. She whispers," it's not your fault, Katia. We came to a cliff with a waterfall. The hurt keeps pounding at me. I need it to stop. My sweet girl, and I just want peace, I keep running and leap off the cliff. Spreading my arms wide, with tears streaming down my face, I fall, not making a sound, waiting for sweet oblivion where we feel nothing ever again. "I love you, my sweet girl! Until we meet again, "My wolf replied just before we hit the water, "I love you too, Katia. I have never regretted a moment with you." The Snow Moon pack is having their last barbecue of the summer next to the waterfall on their land. The adults are laughing and joking while watching the pups play. The alpha, beta, and gamma are swimming with some of the older children and playing a game of Marco Polo. Someone yells, "Oh my goddess, someone just jumped over the waterfall!" Everyone is frozen as they watch what looks to be a child falling arms spread wide, no one makes a sound. The small body hits the water like a plane crashing into the side of a mountain. The alpha, beta, and gamma, spring into action, swimming towards the area the person went under. The alpha is screaming his wolf is going crazy repeating, "Find her. Find her...find her!" They dive and the beta surfaces with a small person in his arms. Alpha takes the girl from his beta, laying her on the ground. The men are shocked by what they see. She is covered in scars and injuries. Her body is twisted and broken. The Beta asks, "Who could have done this to someone so defenseless?" Alpha drops to his knees, repeating, "MATE...MATE...MATE!"
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
I'm a Luna. After three years of marriage to Alpha Nathaniel Blackwood, I'm finally pregnant with his pup. But he's unclaimed me for his first love. I'm leaving the pack with this secret, praying he never finds out. Nathaniel Blackwood is a handsome, powerful Alpha. In a world where humans and werewolves coexist, he has it all: a billion-dollar empire, untold power, a massive pack, and, most importantly, the perfect Luna. But the return of his first love shattered our marriage. When he finds out the secret I've been hiding, will he regret rejecting me? Will I ever be able to forgive him? Dive into this gripping serialized novel to find out more-Enjoy the ride!
"You're my wife in name only, on paper only. My heart and love will never be yours." Edward made it clear to Daisy that she was nothing to him. They were both victims of family greed -- the marriage was arranged for them. Six years passed. She remained quiet, gaining a reputation in the army as a tough-as-nails colonel. When she walked into his life again, Edward fell in love with this woman, unlike any he had known. She surprised and delighted him. But will Daisy take him back? Can their son keep them together? Can the rift between them be healed? Pick this one up and find out!